Article
19 October 2023

Building a bright future in the mineral surface industry

Discover key challenges and opportunities for the future of the mineral surface slab business in this insightful analysis by Giancarlo Crestani.

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Market maturity

Evidence from data

Calacatta and Marble Look patterns for quartz slabs have experienced remarkable success in the key mineral surface markets such as the United States, Australia, Europe, and Asia over the past decade.

Today, the situation is changing and there are significant downward pressures on prices (see the document).

Emerging countries with low labor costs and access to cheaper local raw materials have made the decision to lower their prices in order to expand their market share.

In response, other countries are also adopting a similar strategy to avoid losing their position in the market.

Market maturity

An increasing competition

The situation described above indicates that mineral surface products have entered the maturity phase and are now moving towards the decline phase.

In this stage, price has become the main factor influencing customer purchasing decisions, given that competitors are offering similar patterns, such as Calacatta or Marble-like designs.

Our solutions for the future

Innovation is key

To prevent entering the decline phase, as suggested by the product life-cycle theory, Breton recommends to innovate the mineral surface slabs through:

  1. a significant aesthetic renovation through innovative industrial systems
  2. a transition towards production models that allow for reduced crystalline silica content in slabs

Our solutions

The future of Engineered Stone is now.

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